5 Highest-Grossing Music Biopics ‘Michael’ Must Beat to Become No. 1

The music biopic genre is not all too profitable, but with the right execution and the name of a popular artist, it can be a cinematic gold mine. The spotlight is now on Michael, an upcoming ambitious movie about the King of Pop! 

Michael Jackson’s name alone is enough to sell millions of tickets, but what stands between the movie and the possibility of becoming the highest-grossing music biopic ever are 5 other films that have done exceptionally well! 

So, without further ado, let’s have a look at all the 5 titles and details of their box office earnings! 

5 Walk the Line (2005) – $187.7 M

Joaquin Phoenix was absolutely amazing in Walk the Line, and completely embodied Johnny Cash, the country legend with hits like Ring of Fire, I Walk the Line, Folsom Prison Blues, and Hurt. Reese Witherspoon plays Cash’s wife, June Carter, and her chemistry with Phoenix is beautiful. Walk the Line traces the singer’s early struggles, trauma, and self-doubt and highlights how he was determined to pursue music despite repeated setbacks. 

Viewers loved the movie’s emotional storytelling and its depiction of love, resilience, and the cost of fame. The scene where he sings in prison is the most memorable! If you only think Phoenix is an excellent actor due to Joker, you need to watch Walk the Line because he carried that movie and turned it into one of the best musical biographies ever! 

4 Rocketman (2019) – $190.9 M

In Rocketman, we see how legendary singer Elton John went from being a shy piano prodigy to one of the biggest music icons in the world. The movie begins with a vulnerable moment in his life and then goes back to his childhood, showing us his gradual rise to fame. 

It conveys how the life of a pop star isn’t just about sold-out concerts, but emotional struggles like loneliness, identity, and addiction, which most channel into their art. Taron Egerton is widely celebrated for his leading performance, and people loved how Rocketman doesn’t follow a traditional biopic structure; instead, it tells the story through musical sequences. 

3 Straight Outta Compton (2015) – $202.1 M

Hip-hop fans loved Straight Outta Compton, but even if you aren’t familiar with the culture, it still holds up as a powerful biographical drama that tells the story of the rap group N.W.A. The film goes all the way back to their days in the streets of Compton to their rise and global fame. 

If you’ve ever been fascinated by Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy E’s music, Straight Outta Compton is the best way to know what inspired it, and how frustrated they were with police brutality, poverty, and their neighborhood. The soundtrack of this movie is packed with iconic hip-hop tracks like F*ck the Police, Boyz-n-the-hood, and more! 

2 Elvis (2022) – $288 M

Austin Butler’s transformation into Elvis is the best part of this movie, and he received widespread acclaim for it. He sang all the songs himself, and his actual voice seems to have changed forever after this role. The movie itself, like any biopic, delves into his childhood and then rises as a global superstar. 

It captures the electrifying energy of his concerts, shows us his personal sacrifices, and features some of his best songs like Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock, and Can’t Help Falling in Love. Most viewers loved the flashy visuals and high-energy music sequences, which is precisely why it’s one of the most successful musical biographies of all time. 

1 Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) – $879 M

Most fans of Queen and Freddie Mercury absolutely adore this movie, titled after their song Bohemian Rhapsody. It showcases the band’s early struggles, how they broke into the industry, their creative experiments, Mercury’s personal journey as an outsider, and the tensions that come with fame. 

We see how all of this culminates in one of the most memorable live performances of all time, and at the heart of the story is friendship, identity, and the power of music. Rami Malek was praised to no extent for his portrayal of Mercury, and it’s not hard to see why Bohemian Rhapsody holds the crown of the highest-grossing music biopic ever! 

Now, let’s take a look at the actual box office figures of these features:

Title	Worldwide Box Office (via The Numbers)	Cast	Director	Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer | Popcornmeter) (As of April 24, 2026)
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)	$879 M	Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee	Bryan Singer	60% | 85%
Elvis (2022)	$288 M	Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge	Baz Luhrmann	77% | 94%
Straight Outta Compton (2015)	$202.1 M	O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell	F. Gary Gray	89% | 91%
Rocketman (2019)	$190.9 M	Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden	Dexter Fletcher	89% | 88%
Walk the Line (2005)	$187.7 M	Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin	James Mangold	83% | 90%

Here are some common questions that readers might have:

Michael does have all the ingredients to be a box office juggernaut, and even more so when they’ve found the perfect lead in Michael Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson. The movie will feature a global superstar, a catalog of timeless hits, and some kickass dancing! 

But history shows that music biopics only do well when there’s a perfect balance between the spectacle and its emotional depth. From the trailers, we know they’ve done well in stage and performance-based sequences, but did they capture the ups and downs of his journey? Now that’s yet to be seen! 

So, what are your expectations from Michael? And do you think it will cross all these films to become the highest-grossing musical biography of all time? 

Michael is set to release in theaters on April 24, 2026 (USA).